Cian Ashford, a product of Cardiff City's academy, has been identified as the club's most valuable transfer asset by football data analysts CIES Football Observatory.
The 21-year-old is valued at between €4.3m and €5m (£3.67m-£4.27m) by CIES, placing him at the top of Cardiff's valuation chart despite several other young Bluebirds emerging as potential big-money assets.
The figures, updated in September, offer insight into the value Cardiff are building through their academy, with Ashford's valuation following years of investment in the club's youth system.
Other contenders for top spot
Many supporters might have expected a different name at the top of the list. Striker Yousef Salech, summer signing Jack Moylan and former Manchester City midfielder Alex Robertson are among other players who could command significant fees, while academy graduate Dylan Lawlor would also be a popular choice given his emergence last season.
Lawlor was one of the standout defenders in League One during Cardiff's promotion campaign and attracted interest from Premier League clubs during the summer. But according to CIES, it is Ashford who currently represents the club's most valuable asset.
Ashford's rise through the ranks
The forward has long been regarded as one of the jewels of Cardiff's academy, and his goalscoring record at youth level helped set him apart from his peers. Ashford's versatility was another major attraction, as he was capable of playing in the No.7, No.10 and No.11 positions as he progressed through the age groups.
His route into the first team was not entirely straightforward, though. Injuries interrupted his development, while making his senior breakthrough in a Cardiff team battling relegation made it difficult for him to flourish immediately. He nevertheless established himself as a consistent performer at League One level last season and returned to the Championship with a point to prove.
International recognition and club strategy
Ashford has made an encouraging start under Brian Barry-Murphy this term, enough to earn his first senior Wales call-up. He has now been named in the matchday squad for the first time ahead of Wales' Nations League clash with Norway at Cardiff City Stadium tonight.
His rise is therefore particularly timely for Cardiff, who have made the development of young players a central part of their strategy. The club have invested heavily in their academy in recent years, including the development of their new facility at Llanrumney. The appointment of Barry-Murphy was also made with youth development high on the list of priorities, as the Cardiff boss arrived with a strong reputation for improving young players and giving them opportunities at senior level.
The club's hope is that continued exposure for players such as Ashford, Lawlor, Rubin Colwill and Ronan Kpakio will translate into both sporting success and increased value in the transfer market. CIES' figures offer one indication of how that strategy could pay off.
How the valuation is calculated
The Football Observatory describes its transfer values as estimates produced by a statistical model based on historical fee-paying transfers. Its methodology takes into account factors including player age, position, contract length, playing time and performances, international experience and the sporting and economic level of the player's club and league.
CIES says its model is designed to estimate a "fair" transfer value and also takes into account the financial capacity of the most likely buying club. Its current online tool provides the top estimated transfer value per club across 70 leagues worldwide.
The figures should therefore be viewed as a modelled valuation rather than an indication of what Cardiff would necessarily accept for Ashford. But for a club whose academy has become increasingly central to its identity, seeing one of its homegrown players emerge as its leading estimated transfer asset is another indication of the potential financial rewards of that investment. And with Ashford now pushing into the Wales senior set-up, Cardiff will hope his valuation continues to rise as his Championship career develops.
